Francis Robson

Francis Robson

What was the name of the company you worked for and what do they do?

I worked for WW Records, a small independent record label that focus on electronic music but sometimes delve into other areas, if interesting enough.

What was your role within the company?

There were four of us who dealt with everything to do with the label; as an intern I did some clerical work which involved sending emails and other day-to-day admin, but I also had the opportunity to do some really exciting work. For example, organising and running live events, sound engineering, website maintenance - I pretty much covered all the bases.

Tell us about a typical day on placement

Most days would begin by going over correspondence with the rest of the team, identifying what needed to be done, then the rest of the day would be spent on my computer, fixing the issues and following up on emails amongst other tasks.

What did you enjoy the most and did you get involved in any interesting projects?

The thing I enjoyed the most was probably the sheer variety of what I was doing, one minute I'd be doing press for an upcoming release, the next I'd be setting up DJ equipment in a basement in East London or a concert at Steinway Hall.

Why did you want to undertake a year in industry?

The main reason I wanted to do a year in industry was because I've always thought that practical experience is just as good as academic experience, and this course was the perfect opportunity to combine the two.

What did you hope to get out of this experience?

Aside from the obvious experience of gaining experience, I wanted a bit more clarity in what I should do after University... I'm still unsure so don't worry if you're in the same boat! My industrial placement taught me a few things that perhaps aren't as viable as I thought they would be - useful life experience and the structure of the industry I would, possibly, like to work in!

Do you have any tips and advice to current students thinking of undertaking a year in industry?

Definitely do it, its not only a chance to gain some valuable employment experience, but also a taster of what life after University is going to be like. I grew as a person over the year, which is now having a positive impact on my studies! It's also greatly changed my view on a lot of the things I previously took for granted at University such as societies, and I've become more involved this year as a result.